syllabus for spring 08

8/14/2019 Syllabus for Spring 08

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SEATTLE UNIVERSITYALBERS SCHOOL OF BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS

MBA 510

LEADERSHIP SKILLS AND TEAM

DEVELOPMENT

Spring Quarter 2008, Wednesdays

Professor: Greg PrussiaOffice: Pigott 412Phone: 296-2514 office or 296-2550 front desk E-Mail/Web: [email protected]; http://fac-staff.seattleu.edu/gprussia/web

FAX: 296-2083Office Hours: Anytime by Appointment

Teams and Leaders Facilitator: Dennis ElonkaPhone:E-Mail:

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

The course is designed to meet three main objectives:

To enable you to assess your strengths and weaknesses in terms of important leadershipand team-building skills including capitalizing on group diversity, providing usefulfeedback, and using effective decision making in groups.

Once you have assessed your strengths and weaknesses, to provide you with resourcesand opportunities to further develop your leadership and team-building skills.

To teach you about group development and teamwork by creating an environmentwherein you learn from your own and others' experiences in predominantly outside classactivities.

REQUIRED MATERIALS:

MBA 510 Spring, 2008 Readings (see syllabus end)

On Becoming a Leader (2003), Bennis, W. Published by Basic Books.

Five Dysfunctions of a Team (2002), Lencioni, P. Published by Jossey-Bass.
mailto:[email protected]://fac-staff.seattleu.edu/gprussia/webmailto:[email protected]://fac-staff.seattleu.edu/gprussia/web


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COURSE FOUNDATION

The modern manager is confronted simultaneously by a diverse work force, greater challengeswithin the organization, and an increasingly chaotic business environment. Techniques formanaging that were effective in more stable systems are becoming less applicable, and a newrange of skills, appropriate to the new circumstances, is emerging. Instead of knowing a few newfacts or practices, the modern manager needs to become more responsive in working with others,more creative in coping with challenges and finding solutions, and more adept at synthesizingvarious inputs and taking future oriented actions.

The Leadership Skills and Team Development Seminar offers an opportunity to shift beyond the

work place and academic environments into a learning laboratory setting. This learningopportunity does not take place in isolation, but is supported by strong background training inleadership skills (goal setting, team building, effective communication, risk taking, problemsolving, and trust building). Participants also will be asked to experiment with and practicevarious roles necessary to an effective high performing team.

Research has shown that the types of skills taught in this course are critical to personal andorganizational success. In this course we will approach skill building and team developmentthrough a combination of traditional learning activities (readings, classroom experiences) andless traditional activities, such as the outdoor learning laboratory.

Important Note:

For class meetings (especially the retreat weekend), please feel free to wear comfortable, loosefitting clothing that may become muddy, wet and well worn. We will be outside rain or shine, soyou should have a number of clothing layers with you (e.g., T-shirt, long sleeved shirt,sweatshirt, wind-breaker, long pants, perhaps long underwear bottoms, RAIN GEAR, etc. - dresswarmer than you think you should!).

Highly effective teams are composed of groups of committed individuals who trust eachother; have a clear sense or purpose about their work; are effective communicatorswithin and outside the team; make sure everyone in the team is involved in decisionsaffecting the group; and follow a process that helps them plan, make decisions, andensure the quality of their work.

Wellins, Byham, & Wilson, Empowered Teams


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CLASS SCHEDULE AND ASSIGNMENTS:

Session 1: Wednesday, April 2 6:00 to 9:30

Course introduction/objectives/requirements/expectations/acquaintance activities

Assignment for Session 2:

Journal entries reflecting on Session #1. Read and synthesize the CourseMethodology, Trust/Commitment, and Team Processes/Relationships sections.

Formal Needs Assessment Writing Assignment due on Wednesday 4/23: Based ona discussion with your "coaches", write a 2-4 page double-spaced typed paper describingleadership and team/interpersonal interaction skills you want/need to develop. When

choosing your external class coach (ECC), determine a group with whom you interactregularly (your work or, if you are not working, a social group) and choose arepresentative from that group (e.g. your boss). Youll also be asked to choose aninternal class coach (ICC). Your coaches can provide you with a feedback check onyour own perspectives and can help determine whether they arerelevant/realistic/appropriate. Indicate the names of both your coaches at the end of yourpaper. You will find many ideas in the assigned readings to help you consider relevantskills.

"The thing to remember when traveling is that the trail is the thing, not the end of thetrail. Travel too fast and you miss all you are traveling for."

Louis L'Amour


Team building techniques; Preparation for retreat weekend; Choose internal classcoaches (ICC)

Assignment for Session 3

Journal entries reflecting on Session #2. Read and synthesize Communication,

Emotional Intelligence, Decision Making/Conflict, and Goal Setting sections.Complete the MBTI instrument and bring it to the retreat. Bring journals toretreat (and a plastic bag for your journals).

Session 3: Friday, April 11 at 2:00 p.m. to Sunday, April 13 at 5:00 p.m.


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Meet at Camp Waskowitz ready to begin by 2:00 PROMPT!

Note: The weekend retreat begins promptly at 2:00 pm on Friday, so you should plan tobe there with ample spare time to get checked into your room and be ready to begin

working at 2:00. We will be working into the night on both Friday and Saturday nights(typically until 10:00 or so unless the instructor poops out). The weekend will consist ofa mixture of indoor and outdoor experiential activities. We will work in the out of doorsregardless of the weather, so heed the repetitive recommendations to bring warm,weather proof clothing -- clothing that will keep you warm and dry!

Assignment During Session #3:Observe your own and others' behaviors regardingpersonality type, group/team processes, personal development and leadership,communication and feedback, AND other leadership/team building issues salient to you.Record these observations periodically during the weekend in your journal. Considerwhat you believe are the "key learning points" for these areas, and also consider how you

might use or apply these behaviors in your work/personal life.

We shall not cease from explorationAnd the end of all our exploring

Will be to arrive where we started fromAnd know the place for the first time.

T.S. Eliot(Little Giddino)


Weekend debriefing and Key Learning Point Discussion

Assignment for Session 5

Journal entries reflecting on Session #4. Read and synthesize Leadership andService Learning sections.


Improvisation activities

Assignment for Session 6:

Journal entries reflecting on Session #5. Read and synthesize On Becoming ALeader and The Five Dysfunctions of a Team.

Formal Action Plan Writing Assignment due 5/21: For this assignment first think about theleadership and team skills you indicated in the first written assignment. Also think aboutrelevant concepts/skills (key learning points) you think are important for you that you didnot indicate in the first written assignment. Finally, think about your experience in the


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service- learning project. Then meet with your coaches and discuss with them 1) whetheryou developed desired/needed skills, 2) 3-4 goals for your future, and 3) how they mightspecifically be applied use the SMART outline here. Prepare a 5-10 page typewrittenpaper focusing on these skills/goals you see as relevant to you and how,

SPECIFICALLY you will integrate/apply them in your work and personal life. Notewhat role your coach played in this process. Also note what role you played in theservice-learning project, what you learned/took away from the SLP, and how thatinfluenced the goals you set. Be prepared to share your thoughts with other classmembers.

Loyalty becomes visible in at least two sets of behaviors. First, team members go out oftheir way to ensure the success of their peers. Second, members give their colleagues thebenefit of the doubt when they have apparently failed to meet an obligation or fulfill acommitment.

Kinlaw, Developing Superior Work Teams

Session 6: Wednesday, May 21 6:00 to 9:30

Service Learning Project Debrief; Closure Activity

"The purpose of life, after all, is to live it, to taste, experience it to the utmost, to reachout eagerly and without fear for a newer and richer experience."

Elanor Roosevelt

STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES AND EVALUATION:

Participants in MBA 510 will be evaluated using the following criteria:

1. Attendance and Participation (25% of grade) are essential in this course. Attendance meansprompt arrival at all scheduled sessions and activities. Participation means visible engagement inyour personal learning process as well as that of other students. Additionally, you shouldactively contribute to group discussions about the readings and course experiences.

2. Formal writing assignments (25% of grade). These assignments are important tools tomaximize your learning and improve your writing skills. In answering these questions, you will

explore your reactions to group activities, class discussions and readings. You will also have achance to apply course material and experiences to other aspects of your life. Full credit paperswill demonstrate: 1) OUTSTANDING effort and thoughtfulness in completing the assignment;2) an obvious understanding of the relevant course material (i.e., your papers should draw uponAND MAKE SPECIFIC CONNECTION TO ASSIGNED READINGS [using parentheses],ideas experienced in class, and class discussions); 3) exemplary grammar and no typographicalerrors.

3. Reflection Journal (25% of grade). This is an important tool for maximizing the learning value


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of experiential activities. It serves as a means for understanding, articulating, interpreting andrelating learning to other aspects of our lives (transference), and is most effective when done soonafter the experience. The journal should contain reflections on your experiences from: Classmeetings, the retreat, the service project, work, and other group encounters and activities.

Reflective journalizing is a highly personal activity and should draw from personal background,perspectives, feelings, and interpretations. It is not a process of logging events and activities, butone of reflecting on your personal experiences and reactions to those experiences. This process ofjotting down your feelings and observations about the process, not the task, will continuethroughout the quarter from the first class meeting to the last. Questions you should ask and addressas you journal on experiences include: What worked well and why? What (and whose) words andgestures particularly fueled your energy and commitment to the groups success? As metaphors forother venues in your work or personal life, what did you see (are you seeing) in the class challengesand class dynamics that are isomorphic to those other venues? How? What can you transfer fromthe class experiences to those other venues?

When reflecting on your retreat experience you should strive to tie together what you have learnedin the readings and what you have observed in your own behavior and that of your classmates. Thefocus should be on effective teaming, leadership, and other appropriate topics. You may include e-mail messages to your class or to specific individuals in your class in that they provide feedback tothe class (or individuals) and/or that they share your own thoughts, observations and epiphaniesfrom your experiences together.

When reflecting on your service project experience, you should think about what you learned fromthe project, how the group dynamic was the same or different from that observed in the rest of thecourse, how you felt about the nature of the service, etc.

The journal may be neatly handwritten and is due on 5/21. You will be assessed on how well youmet expectations for effort and diligence in journalizing on your experiences in the course.

4. Readings Syntheses (25 % of grade). You should prepare brief written syntheses for all readingsin the course packet. This is not a busy-work task to test whether youve read the assignments. Theact of reflecting back on what youre reading and reducing (or synthesizing) the readings to thesalient points being conveyed in each reading will substantially enhance your understanding andretention of these points. It engages you actively in the learning process and thereby maximizesyour personal learning. The syntheses will give you a memory handle on what youve read andwill make the time youve spent with the readings packet much more meaningful and moreenduring. These syntheses need only be a paragraph or two long, depending on the item that you

are synthesizing. It is due on 5/21.

5. Service Learning Project (part of attendance and participation). Each class will plan andimplement a group service project. This project should involve all students in the class. Inevaluating alternative projects, your group should consider whether the project promises to make asignificant contribution to the community (the university, the neighborhood, the environment, etc.).Past student feedback suggests that interaction with community members, clear perception ofcontribution to the community and results achieved, and being able to keep in contact with groupmates during the project activity yield an especially gratifying service experience. The service


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project should involve at least 8-10 hours of work from each student, in addition to planning anddebriefing meetings. The following page provides some guidelines about selecting, planning, andimplementing your project:

- planning process: Try to meet before or after class to generate ideas for service projects. Afteran initial face-to-face session, you can use the class e-mail list for further planning.

- idea generation: Generate no less than 5 and no more than 30 possible ideas.

- idea selection: In evaluating alternative projects, your group should consider whether theproject promises to make a significant contribution to the community (the university, theneighborhood, the environment etc.).

- physical or mental?: Your project can involve grunt work or it can involve higher-level skillspresent in the group. That is up to you.

- generating commitment: Before individual students commit to one or more ideas proposed bythe group, make sure that you consider this project worthy of your time, sweat, and intellectualenergy. If not, speak up and propose an alternative that you can commit to!

- teamwork: The service project should depend on teamwork. The service project is intended toprovide the class with another opportunity to work together as a team. Avoid projects thatrequire people to work in separate physical spaces or on unrelated activities.

- opportunity for interaction with or feedback from your clients: Past student feedback suggeststhat interaction with community members and a clear perception of contribution to thecommunity yields an especially gratifying experience. If you do not interact with clients during

your project, please devise a way to receive feedback from them after the project.

- adequate planning: In a give class, you could have up to 300 person-hours of labor available.Make sure that whatever project or organization you select is ready to absorb that supply orlabor. Otherwise people will be underutilized and under committed to the team's endeavor.

"The ultimate measure of a person is not where one stands in moments of comfort andconvenience, but where one stands during challenges and controversy"

Martin Luther King, Jr.


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MBA 510 Spring, 2008 Readings. Most readings can be derivedfrom the Business Source Complete database unless otherwiseindicated (search instructions included below)

Course Methodology:1. Test: Can you laugh at his advice? Fortune. July 6, 1998, V. 138, p. 203.

2. Learning to lead: mention outdoor education and you are bound to raise a few eyebrowsRisk Management. June, 2003, V. 50, p. 48. (on Business and Management Practices database).

3. What I learned while moving a team across a bridge blindfolded. Credit Union Management.August 2007, p. 70.

Trust/Commitment:4. Whom can you trust: Its not so easy to tell. Fortune. June 12, 2000. V. 141, p. 331 (onResearch Library Complete database).

5. Building trust within global teams. Multilingual. September, 2006, V. 17, p. 50.

Team Processes/Relationships:6. The leadership team Harvard Business Review. April, 2007, p. 90.

7. Managing multicultural teams. Harvard Business Review. November, 2006, V. 84, p. 84.

Communication:8. Listen up, leaders: Let workers do the talking. HRMagazine, October 2003, V. 48, p. 14.

9. 7 tips for effective listening. Internal Auditor. August 2003, V. 60, p. 23.

Emotional Intelligence:10. What makes a leader? Harvard Business Review. January, 2004, V. 82, p. 82.

11. Building the emotional intelligence of groups. Harvard Business Review. March, 2001, V.79, p. 80.

Decision Making/Conflict:12. What you dont know about making decisions. Harvard Business Review, Sept. 2001, v. 79,p. 108.

13. Managing conflict within a team of writers. Intercom. December, 2006, V. 53, p. 15.

Goal Setting14. Changing the goal-setting process at Microsoft. Academy of Management Executive.


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November, 2004, p. 139.

15. Going for the goal. JCK. September 2003, V. 174, p. 82.

Leadership:16. Level 5 leadership. Harvard Business Review. Jan 2001. V. 79, p. 66.

17. The agenda Grassroots leadership. www.fastcompany.com/online/23/grassroots.html.

18. Turn yourself into a star performer: Tips on cultivating confidence. Business Credit. January,2007, p. 60.

19. What to ask the person in the mirror. Harvard Business Review. January, 2007, V. 85, p. 86.

Service Learning:20. A critique of service learning projects in management education. Journal of Business Ethics.Jan 1996, V. 15, p. 133.

21. Creating the intersection between corporate values and community service. Public RelationsStrategist. Summer, 2004, V. 10, p. 30.

Search instructions:Go to www.seattleu.edu

Click on learning and teachingClick on librariesClick on Lemieux LibraryClick on the drop-down menu in Find articles on your topic in a databaseChoose Databases by Title in the drop-down menuClick on Business Source CompleteAdd Academic Search Complete when you choose databasesClick on continue and begin searching!
http://www.fastcompany.com/online/23/grassroots.htmlhttp://www.seattleu.edu/http://www.fastcompany.com/online/23/grassroots.htmlhttp://www.seattleu.edu/

syllabus for spring 08

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